Exton, Dan A and Ahmadia, Gabby N and Cullen-Unsworth, Leanne C and Jompa, Jamaluddin and May, Duncan and Rice, Joel and Simonin, Paul W and Unsworth, Richard KF and Smith, David J (2019) Artisanal fish fences pose broad and unexpected threats to the tropical coastal seascape. Nature Communications, 10 (1). 2100-. DOI https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-10051-0
Exton, Dan A and Ahmadia, Gabby N and Cullen-Unsworth, Leanne C and Jompa, Jamaluddin and May, Duncan and Rice, Joel and Simonin, Paul W and Unsworth, Richard KF and Smith, David J (2019) Artisanal fish fences pose broad and unexpected threats to the tropical coastal seascape. Nature Communications, 10 (1). 2100-. DOI https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-10051-0
Exton, Dan A and Ahmadia, Gabby N and Cullen-Unsworth, Leanne C and Jompa, Jamaluddin and May, Duncan and Rice, Joel and Simonin, Paul W and Unsworth, Richard KF and Smith, David J (2019) Artisanal fish fences pose broad and unexpected threats to the tropical coastal seascape. Nature Communications, 10 (1). 2100-. DOI https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-10051-0
Abstract
Gear restrictions are an important management tool in small-scale tropical fisheries, improving sustainability and building resilience to climate change. Yet to identify the management challenges and complete footprint of individual gears, a broader systems approach is required that integrates ecological, economic and social sciences. Here we apply this approach to artisanal fish fences, intensively used across three oceans, to identify a previously underrecognized gear requiring urgent management attention. A longitudinal case study shows increased effort matched with large declines in catch success and corresponding reef fish abundance. We find fish fences to disrupt vital ecological connectivity, exploit > 500 species with high juvenile removal, and directly damage seagrass ecosystems with cascading impacts on connected coral reefs and mangroves. As semi-permanent structures in otherwise open-access fisheries, they create social conflict by assuming unofficial and unregulated property rights, while their unique high-investment-low-effort nature removes traditional economic and social barriers to overfishing.
Item Type: | Article |
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Subjects: | G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GC Oceanography |
Divisions: | Faculty of Science and Health Faculty of Science and Health > Life Sciences, School of |
SWORD Depositor: | Unnamed user with email elements@essex.ac.uk |
Depositing User: | Unnamed user with email elements@essex.ac.uk |
Date Deposited: | 22 May 2019 13:48 |
Last Modified: | 30 Oct 2024 17:29 |
URI: | http://repository.essex.ac.uk/id/eprint/24647 |
Available files
Filename: Exton et al (2019) Artisanal Fish Fences....Nature Communications.pdf
Licence: Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0